Thrashing-machine



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F. EYES. THRASHING MAQHINE.

No. 340,498. l Patented Apr. 20, 1886.

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THRASHING MACHINE.

PatentedApr. 20, 1886.

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P. EVBS. THRASHING MACHINE. No. 340,498. Patented Apr. 20, 1886.

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FRANK EVES, OF ORTONVILLE, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO CHARLES PETERSON, OF LOCKPORT, NEW YORK.

MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.340,498, dated April 20,1886.

Application filed January 21, 1885.

To all whom t may concern: K

Be itv known that I, FRANK Evns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ortonville, in the county of Big Stone and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in rllhrashing-lvlachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. "vil My'invention relates to improvements in thrashing-machines; and my inventionconsists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of my machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, with part of machine in section. Fig. 3 2o is a section taken in front of the drum and f looking toward the platform D. Figs. 4 and 5 are details of the straw -stacken Fig. 6 is a detail of the elevator; Fig. 7, an end view of feed-board; Figs. 8 and 9, details showing the means for adjusting the concave.

In the drawings, A is the main frame of the machine, which is supported upon wheels in any suitable manner.

B is the thrashing-cylinder, which is of any suitable construction and rotated through bevelgears b b from the power-shaft B.

Upon each side of the feed-board B2 are endless traveling aprons C, carried by rolls c c, one of which is driven by worm -gearing c c from the shaft of the cylinder. The grain is carried by these aprons to the feed-board B2.

In the-,rear of the cylinder B is the platform D. This platform is hipped in the center and slopes toward each side, as shown in Fig. n It is provided with the diagonally-placed O. bars D, having the ratchet shaped notches DL. At its rear end the platform is hung upon the cranks E of shaft E, and at its forward end it is hung upon the disks F, which are pivoted at FQ and provided with the crank-pins F2, to which the platform is secured. These disks are counterbalanced by having the portions opposite the crank pins made heavier, so that their inertia carries 5o them over the dead-points, and they thus ro- Serial No. 153,547. (No model.)

tate without any other connection with the crankshaft than that furnished bythe platform itself. The disks may, however, have a secondary connection with the crank-shaft 'by any suitable means that will cause them 55 to rotate with that shaft, as suitable belts, or connecting-rods, or line-shafts and bevel-gearing, or other equivalent means that will readily be suggested to any skilled mechanic. As power is applied to shaft E to rotate it, the 6o rear end of the platform is carried by the crank-arm E', and the forward end, hung on disks F, has the same motion. The platform is thereby given a vertical and horizontal reciprocatory motion.

Over the forward end of the platform Vare two diagonally-placed beaters and separators, G G. These separators consist of rolls or shafts having a series of separator or distributing arms, g g. At one end each shaft is journaled in the frame of the machine, and at the other in a hanger from a cross-bar, A', and they are preferably geared together by gears g4 g5, and one shaft is rotated from shaft B by gears g2 g3.

I find in practice that nearly all the grain is passed through under the cylinder near its center, and I use these distributers for the purpose of spreading the straw thinly and evenly over the platform, so that the grain will readily fall through the straw to the surface of the platform.

Atthe rear end of the platform is the series of project-ing rods d, and a cross-shaft, H, having a series of arms, h, isjournaled in frame A in the rear of the platform. When the end of the platform is in its most elevated position, the arms h extend between the rods d d, and the straw on the rods is taken up bythe arms h and carried over the shaft H and dropped on the separator l, hereinafter described. An inclined grain board, K, Figs. l and 2, is placed under the end of the platform, and it carries the grain which drops ofi' the end of the platform onto the shaft L, which is provided with the spiral conveyers Z Z, which work the grain which falls upon it toward the sides of the screen M, hereinafter described. The separator I is hung at` its forward end on the crank-arms E'z of shaft E, and at its rear end roo on disks I', which are pivoted at I2, and have the offset or crank pins I3, which are connected with the frame of the separator. These disks aresimilar to those on which one end of the platform is hung, and they are similarly couuterbalanced or driven from the crankshaft. The separator has thus a similar but oppositelytimed motion to the platform D. This separator consists of a series of bars, t', and a series of wires, i', which extend across the upper surface of the bars, and are secured thereto by staples 2.

The separator or sieve M consists of the bars m, which are narrower at the bottom than at the top, and are angularly placed, as shownin Fig. 2, and the cross-wires m', secured to the bars by staples m2. The cross-shafts M extend under the separator or sieve M, and have near each end the eccentrics M2, upon which the separator is carried.

In front of the lower separator is the fan N. I prefer to use a drum that is divided in the y center and closed or nearly closed at the ends.

By this means a strong blast is obtained near the center ofthe machine and a weaker one near the sides. The drinn N is open at the rear, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the air-current is directed between the angularly-placed bars of screen M, and conducted by their inclined sides to the surface of the screen. As the space between the bars diminishes toward the top, the blast is conducted in full force against the material on the surface ofthe screen.

O 'represents a portion of the straw-stacker, which consists of endless ropes O', with cross.- bars O, which are secured to the ropes by clasps O* and screws O5, which pass through the ropes, as shown. The clasps are secured to the bars by bolts O P is an elevator, by which the parts of heads and unthrashed broken heads or Whitecaps are elevatedto the feed-board, or, preferably, to the apron G, to be again passed through the machine. This elevator consists, principally, of thc notched bar P, Fig. 6, which at its upper end is hung to the side of frame A by link p,which is pivoted at p2. AAt the other end the elevator is hung on crank P2 of shaft P. The lower end of the elevator is moved by the circular motion of the crank P2, while the opposite end has an oscillating movement with the link p. I find this motion superior to any otherfor the elevator, as the elevator thus raises the material and advances with it, and then drops down and moves back, thereby throwing the material farther up the elevator.

An end view of the feed-board B2 is shown in Fig. 7. As will be seen from this figure, I construct it with the rounded corners b 118.

With the ordinary feed-board considerable time and labor upon the part of the person feeding the grain are required to keep the corners of the board clear of chaff and grain which are sure to collect there. When the chaff and grain do not collect in the corners,

but slide down to that part of the board where 'they are in position to be struck by the grain being pushed down to the cylinder, andas the grain is shoved toward the cylinder the rounded corners are swept by it and kept clear. No attention need be paid to shoving the material out of the corners, and it is thus easier to feed the grain.

In Fig. 8 I have shown the outline of the thrashing-cylinder and concave, the teeth being omitted. The concave B1 is pivoted at its lower edge, as indicated at b, to any suitable part of frame A, and is also provided with gear-teeth blwhich are engaged by pinions b on a crossshaft, B, having on its end a ratchetwheel, Z116, which may be held in any desired position by pawl bla. By this means the concave can be adjusted to and from the cylinder B.

Through the lower bar of frame A, IeXt-end a screw, Q, one upon each side of the machine, with their points directly over the tops of the front wheels, so that when the machine is to be used the screws may be set down upon the tops ofthe front wheels, and thus firmly brace this end of the machine; or the machine may be braced in any other suitable manner, and one of the screws only need be set against the wheel. In either instance, whether one or bot-h screws are used, the point of the screw bearing on the wheel serves as a brake and keeps the wheel from rolling while the ruachine is being used.

By this machine the grain is thoroughly separated from the straw. The distributors in the rear of the cylinder spread the straw over the platform, the amount of their inclination to the line of travel of the straw determining the amount that the straw will be spread. The hipped platform also aids in distributing the straw and moving the grain and chaff toward the sides of the machine, so as to bring it toward the edges or sides ofthe separators, and thus to distribute the material over the whole surface ofthe separator and screens.

IOO

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The inclined bars D', which are of the shape l shown, also aid in this distribution.

For the sake of clearness in the drawings, I have omitted the belts by which the several cross-shafts are driven. It will be understood, however, that all the crossshafts are driven by means of suitable belts and pulleys from the cylinder B.

I claim- 1. The combination, in a machine of the class describedwith means for carrying the straw, of a straw-distributer consisting of a shaft arranged diagonally across the line of travel of the straw and provided with a series of distributingarms, and means for rotating said shaft, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with the cylinder and concave and straw-carrying platform, of a straw-dis tributer consisting of a revolving shaft ar ranged diagonally across said platform and NOASB provided with a series of distributing-arms, 1 as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, in a machine of the class described, with the straw-carrier, of the straw-distributers G G, each consisting of a revolving shaft arranged diagonally across the straw-carrier and'provided with a series of distributing-arms, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination,in a thrashing-machine, with the platform D, of the straw-distributers G G, arranged diagonally across said platform and provided. with a series of distributing-arms, means for moving the platform, and means for rotating the distributers, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a grain-separator, the platform D, sloping from the center towards the sides, and provided with the diagonally-placed notched bars D', as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination,with the platform D, having projecting rods d d in the rear end thereof, and means, as described, for longitudinally and vertically moving the platform, of the shaft H, having arms h, passing between the rods d d, and means for rotating shaft H, whereby the straw is taken from the rods d d and carried over the shaft H, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the platform D, having rods d d, and the shaft H, having arms h h, said shaft being arranged as described, of the grain-board K, the spiral conveyers Z l, and the screen M, said board K and conveyers Z being located beneath shaft H, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the shaft E, having the oppositely-set cranks E E2, of the platform D and separator I, each having one end mounted on said cranks, and their opposite ends mounted on revolving cranks of equal throw, as and for the purpose set forth.

i 9. The combination, in a machine of 'the class described, with a shaft having oppositely-set cranks, of a straw-carrying platform having one end mounted on two of said cranks, and its other end mounted on revolving cranks of equal throw, and a screen having one end mounted on the opposite cranks of said shaft, and its other end mounted on revolving cranks of equal throw, all substantially as described.

10. The combination of the platform D, having rods d, the double-crank shaft E, the screen I, and the shaft H, having arms h, as and for the purpose set forth. l

1l. In a thrashing-machine, the straw-belt O, consisting of ropes O', bars O2, clasps 0", and screws O5, as and for the purpose set forth.

12. The combination, with the frame A and the forward wheel of a thrashing-machine, of the screw Q, mounted in said frame, with its point directly over the top of said wheel, as and for the purpose set forth.

13. The screen M, comprising the series of bars having upwardly-inclined tapering recesses between them, and the series of crosswires secured by staples to the tops of said bars, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK EVES.

Witnesses:

" A. C. PAUL,

WM. A. SIMoNs. 

